Universidad Nacional Abierta y a Distancia

Academic and Research Vice-rector

Task 2 - Writing assignment

1. General description of the course

Faculty or Vicerrectoría de Relaciones Internacionales

Academic Unit
Academic Level Professional, specialization, master
Academic Field Common basic interdisciplinary training
Course Name English IV
Course Code 90170
Course Type Methodological Can be re- yes ☐ No ☒
opened
Number of Credits 2

2. Description of the activity

Type of the Individu Collaborativ Number

☐ ☒ 5
activity: al e of weeks
Intermediat
Moment of e, Unit: 2 -
Initial ☐ ☒ Final ☐
evaluation: Hypothetica
l situations
Delivery Environment: Monitoring
Evaluative score: 120
and Evaluation
Starting date: February 15th,
Closing date: March 28th, 2019
2019
Competence to develop:
Write clear, detailed text related to the topic.
 Write a letter to United Nations Secretary-General1;
 Talk about Effects of technology on the environment;
 Talk about past events;
 Use “If clauses” to express future meaning;
 Use “Wish” to express hypothetical situations;
 Give advice and recommendations.
Topics to develop:
Past events, conditionals, recommendations with “wish” and “hope”.

1
The Secretary-General of the United Nations is the head of the United Nations Secretariat, one of the six principal organs of the United
Nations. The Secretary-General serves as the chief administrative officer of the United Nations.
Steps, phases of the learning strategy to develop:
Central task - Writing assignment - Production
Phase 1: Students work in collaborative groups.
Phase 2: Students present a written text.
Phase 3: Students give feedback and reflection on the task.
Activities to carry out:

Dear Student,
You must take into account three aspects:

 Write a letter to the UN Secretary-General:

a) Express your opinion on the positive or negative effects
of technology on the environment;
b) Give recommendations on what you would improve or
change.

It is necessary that you do online contents exercises that are

related to the steps to carry out.

Dear student,
 You will develop this task in the Writing forum.
 At the end of this task, you will collect all the parts in a final
document.
 Follow each step, post all the activities in the forum and get
feedback from your partners and tutor.
 The final product must be sent individually. You construct
your final product through the process you develop
collaboratively.
 Stage 1: Technology and its effects on environment (1st week)

Go to unit 1.1. Time Relationships2 in the Knowledge

Environment and develop the following activities:

a. Do the indicated exercises and post the answers when completed

in the forum.
b. Write about technological advancement and the effect on the
ecosystem.

- Text length: 100 words

- Write about: What do you think are negative or positive effects
of technology on the environment? How did it affect to Climate
Change in the last decades? Did it cause environmental
pollution or natural resources scarcity?
- You can use the following text as an example:

2
Nota: Los ejercicios en línea del entorno de conocimiento no se guardan en la plataforma. Para los ejercicios que tiene que hacer para
cada etapa, usted debe publicar las respuestas de los ejercicios indicados en el foro o tomar pantallazos. No enviar las respuestas al
correo del tutor. Solo publicar en el foro las actividades que la guía indica.
 Stage 2: Technology and global warming (2nd week)

Go to unit 1.2. If clauses and results clauses in

conditional sentences3 in the Knowledge Environment
and develop the following activities:

3
Nota: Los ejercicios en línea del entorno de conocimiento no se guardan en la plataforma. Para los ejercicios que tiene que hacer para
cada etapa, usted debe publicar las respuestas de los ejercicios indicados en el foro o tomar pantallazos. No enviar las respuestas al
correo del tutor. Solo publicar en el foro las actividades que la guía indica.
a. Do the indicated exercises and post the answers & written text in
the forum.
b. Write a paragraph answering this question: What do you think will
happen if current trends of technology development and
consumerism continue? You can use the following vocabulary for
the text:

According to… from my point of view… I consider… global

warming… environmental damage… combat increasing rate of…
environmental pollution… the impact of… degradation of lands…
economic growth… poverty… developing countries… population
growth… rapid urbanization… natural resources scarcity… if
people don’t change their habits… If current trends continue…
rising levels of consumption… etc…

Post your opinion in the forum.

Your opinion:
__________________________________________________
Stage 3: What can be done? 2.1 (3rd week)

Go to unit 2.1. Wish to express hypothetical

situations in the Knowledge environment and develop
the following activities:

a. Do the indicated exercises and post the answers in the forum.

b. Write your advice on how we can contribute to the improvement
of current environmental crisis. Use the following vocabulary for
the text:

Governments… United Nations (UN)… measures… take actions…

sustainable development… policies… climate policy… eco-friendly
technology… it is necessary… I recommend… I would… etc…

Post your recommendations in the forum.

Your recommendation:
__________________________________________________
Stage 4: Write a letter (4th week)

According to the previous writing exercises, you will design a formal

letter addressed to the UN Secretary-Executive (200 words) including
the following steps:

Use the following tool: https://goo.gl/wxXAZD

Example: https://goo.gl/AhQjia

Stage 5: Complete the checklist

QUESTIONS YES NO

Did I develop the activities of the unit 1.1?

Stage 1

Did I post the results of exercises from the unit 1.1 in the forum?
Did I write a note in the forum about technology and its effects on the
environment?
Did I develop the activities of the unit 1.2?
Stage 2

Did I post the writing activity from the unit 1.2 in the forum?
Did I post my opinion about how do I see the future of our planet?
Did I develop the activities of the unit 2.1?
Stage 3

Did I post the practice activity from the unit 2.1 in the forum?
Did I post my recommendations in the forum?
Did I design a letter addressed to UN Secretary-General?
Stage 4

Did I include in the letter my opinion?

Did I include in the letter my recommendations?
Stage 6: Upload the final product in the Evaluation and
Monitoring Environment

 Compile the letter and the checklist of stage 5 in one PDF document
and upload it in the Evaluation and Monitoring Environment.

END OF THE TASK!

Environmen
t for the
Collaborative Learning
developme
nt
Collaborative:
Upload the Final Document in PDF or Word format in the
Products to Evaluation and Monitoring Environment.
deliver by
student  Each student must give feedback to one of his/her
partners.
 Each student is responsible for his/her process.

3. General guidelines for the collaborative work

Planning of
activities for
the
Each student has to develop each step of the task and
development
post the evidence in the forum.
of
collaborative
work
Roles to
perform by Each student must give feedback to one of his/her
the student partners.
in the Each student is responsible for his/her process.
collaborative
group
Roles and
responsibiliti The final product must be sent individually in the
es for the Evaluation and Monitoring Environment in a PDF or
delivery of Word document.
products
 It is necessary to use the APA standards in order to
Use of
provide a bibliography of the sources cited in the
references
document.
According to Diccionario de la Real Academia Española
“Plagiarism is the action of substantially copying other
people's works, presenting them as own creation."
Therefore, plagiarism is a serious offense; academically
speaking it is equivalent to theft. A student who
plagiarizes does not take his education seriously, and
does not respect the intellectual work of others.

There is no small plagiarism. Using any portion of

another person's work, without acknowledging the
author or source is plagiarism. Now, it is evident that
we all take some ideas from others when it comes to
presenting ours, and that our knowledge is based on
Plagiarism someone else’s knowledge. But when we rely on the
policy work of others, academic honesty requires that we
explicitly announce the fact that we are using an
external source, either by citing or by paraphrasing
(these terms will be defined below). When we cite or
paraphrase, we clearly identify our source, not only to
give recognition to its author, but also to allow the
reader to look up in a reference text.

There are certain academic events in which it is not

acceptable to quote or paraphrase the work of others.
For instance, if a teacher assigns his or her students a
task in which they are clearly required to answer using
their own ideas and words, then the student should not
consider external sources regardless if they are
properly referenced.
 4. Evaluation rubric

Evaluation rubric
Activity Collaborative
Individual Activity ☐ ☒
type: Activity
Intermediate,
Moment of
Unit: 2 -
the Initial ☐ ☒ Final ☐
Hypothetical
evaluation
situations
Assessed Performance levels of the collaborative activity
Score
Aspect High score Media score Low score
Writes a note in the
Posts the activities forum, but it
from unit 1.1 in the doesn’t show the
forum; writes a note previous activities
Doesn’t
in the forum about from the online
upload the
technology and its contents indicated
activities from
effects on the in the unit 1.1;
stage 1.
Stage 1 environment with a shows imprecise 15
maximum of 70 sentences with an
words and using inconsistent style;
time markers from shows some lack of
the unit. control in
grammar.
(Up to 0
(Up to 15 points) (Up to 7 points)
points)
Posts the writing
Writes his/her
activity from the
opinion in the
unit 1.2 in the
forum, but it
forum; Writes a
doesn’t show the
paragraph about
previous activities
what will happen if Doesn’t upload
from the online
Stage 2 current trends of the activities 15
contents indicated
technology from stage 2.
in the unit 1.2;
development and
shows imprecise
consumerism
sentences with an
continue, using the
inconsistent style;
structure indicated
shows some lack of
in the unit 1.2.
 control in
grammar.

(Up to 0
(Up to 15 points) (Up to 7 points)
points)
Writes in the forum
giving
recommendations,
however, it doesn’t
show the previous
activities from the
Posts the practice
online contents
activity from the
indicated in the
unit 2.1 in the Doesn’t upload
unit 2.1; shows
forum; Writes the activities
imprecise
Stage 3 complex sentences from stage 3. 20
sentences with an
for giving
inconsistent style;
recommendations.
shows some lack of
control in
grammar; the
recommendation
exceeds the
indicated length.
(Up to 0
(Up to 20 points) (Up to 10 points)
points)
Designs the letter to
Designs the letter
UN Secretary –
to UN Secretary –
General;
General; Doesn’t design
The final product is a
Develops some of the letter to
complete evidence of
the activities from UN Secretary –
the process
the stage 1 to 3; General.
developed in the
The final product Doesn’t
Stage 4 forum; 55
doesn’t show a develop any of
The final product has
complete evidence the activities
the three stages of
of the process from the stage
the writing exercise
developed in the 1 to 3.
(talking about the
forum;
past; expressing the
opinion; giving
recommendations.);
 It is evident the
coherence between
online contents
provided in the
guide and the final
product.
(Up to 0
(Up to 55 points) (Up to 30 points)
points)
Deliveries the link Deliveries the
of the final link of the final
product in a Pdf product in a Pdf
or a Word or a Word
document. document.
Doesn’t
Completes the However,
deliver the
checklist. doesn’t adds the
final
Adds the completed
product.
Stage 5 checklist in the checklist. 15
Word document. Uploads the final
Uploads the final document in the
document in the Evaluation and
Evaluation and Monitoring
Monitoring Environment.
Environment.
(Up to 0
(Up to 15 points) (Up to 6 points)
points)
Final score 120